Confessions Unknown
by Sphynx
Summary: While spending a few hours in Domino Jail, Jounouchi has a rather decent conversation with the last person he thought he'd see again; Hirutani (NOT A YAOI STORY) PG-13 for language


**A/N: **This little blurb came to me today during school . . . I've always wondered what would happen if Jou were to ever meet up with this certain person again. ALSO; if you have not read the chapters 'The Wild Gang' in the Yu-Gi-Oh manga, you're . . . well, you're probably going to be lost. Check out the second YGO monda and READ it; it's a WONDERFUL story and a wonderful key into Jounouchi's past.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of the following characters except Chris and Aoi.

* * *

It wasn't a place he had ever wanted to be again. No one was ever excited about being put into jail; especially when the person being put there is innocent of the crime in the first place. 

Jounouchi Katsuya slumped against the wall, thoughts racing through his mind. What was his father going to say? Never mind that, what was his father going to _do_?! They never had much money, with paying the pills, and putting Jounouchi through school and alcohol rehabilitation for his father . . . well, with this added expense of bail money, Jounouchi wasn't sure exactly when was going to get out.

He was innocent, but when someone has a criminal record as long as your arm, being in the wrong place at the wrong time isn't an excuse; it's a one way ticket to the jail house. Which was exactly what had happened with Jounouchi. He had been framed and still wasn't sure how.

Brown eyes looked toward the door as it opened and a young man, probably only a few years older than himself, stepped into the room, his eyes cast toward the floor. But even in the dark light and with his face to the ground, Jounouchi gasp; he recognized him. He would have recognized him anywhere.

It had been years since he had seen Hirutani, and yet, even almost five years older, he still looked the same as he had at sixteen years old. The only difference was in his face, which looked much older than his twenty-one years.

He got gotten skinnier, his face more hollow. His hair, usually very well kept, was in distray, no longer in it's usually ponytail or color, and his normally bleached blonde hair was now two-toned, showing the dark roots of Hirutani's natural hair color.

Jounouchi wasn't sure Hirutani even recognized him at first, simply staring at him for a few moments. It wasn't until the cops left them alone that the older man finally spoke. "Interesting seeing you here, Jounouchi. I thought you had turned from those ways."

"Wasn't my problem. Someone framed me," Jounouchi said, glaring at the gang leader. "What's your excuse?"

Nothing was said for a moment as Hirutani simply shrugged. "Same 'ol, same 'ol . . . they finally got tired of fooling with me. Don't blame them much, really . . . I'm tired of living life."

Jounouchi didn't say anything for a moment. He really wasn't sure what to say. The man in front of him was supposed to be a horrible enemy of his . . . but there was also that tug of something inside Jounouchi's heart that made him remember that he and Hirutani were once friends. He opened his mouth to say something, but Hirutani beat him to it.

"If you're wanting to know, it's like this. You're a gang leader of the most powerful and deadliest gangs in all of Domino . . . well you should know that; you used to be second in command." Hirutani smirked slightly. "You have a chick, think she's the best thing under the sun. You have run-ins with the cops, but some how always manage to weasel your way out of trouble. Until one day everything comes crashing down. Your chick ends up pregnant and isn't sure it's yours, you have gang members leaving, cops on your ass . . . so you go to desperate measures. It's how I ended up here."

"What exactly did you do?"

Hirutani shrugged again, fiddling around in his pocket for cigarettes, lighting one, and leaning back against the wall again. "Got caught stealing milk. Simple, I know. And odd . . . I've never gotten caught before. The one time I do it for someone other than myself, I get thrown into jail for it."

Someone other than himself? Since when had Hirutani ever cared about anyone but himself. And stealing _milk_ of all things . . . Jounouchi shook his head slightly. It must have been for the baby. Jounouchi grinned slightly; he just couldn't see Hirutani with a baby. "I assume the milk was for the child?"

The gang leader nodded. "She's unhealthy . . . and Aoi's sick. Almost killed her having the child in the first place. Others don't care; they think she and the baby both are nusciences . . . I might be a gang leader Jounouchi, and I might not have the best morals in the world . . . but I'm not leaving a child to die, nor will I let others kill her."

So Hirutani had finally grown up; five years ago, he probably would have killed the child himself and told Aoi to haul her ass out of the group. But he had grown up . . . and was almost a completely different person to the Hirutani Jounouchi had once known.

"You eventually realize that you've hit rock bottom, you know?" Hirutani went on, closing his purple eyes. "You grow up thinking the world owes you something; that if you're tough, the world will realize that you're no one to mess with. And then reality slaps you in the face; HARD. And it hurts . . . no matter how tough you are, it hurts. That's where I've hit, Jounouchi. Rock bottom. I've got no where else to go; this is where I belong." He sighed again. "You were right that night, you know?"

Jounouchi narrowed his eyes, not really sure of what Hirutani meant. "Right about what?"

"The night that boy died . . . what was his name, Chris?" Hirutani's snerked as he noticed Jounouchi jump.

Chris was a memory that Jounouchi had tried to bury away for years. He had been a nine-year-old younger brother of a fellow gang member . . . and a great person to be around. After begging Hirutani to let him go on a raid, the gang leader finally agreed, much to the disagreement of his brother. Chris had been shot that night, and died in Jounouchi's arms. The blonde boy had never forgiven Hirutani for letting Chris go. It was the reason he left the gang in the first place. He had had enough.

"Anyway, you were right; I did know there was going to be guns there . . . and no, I really didn't have any respect for the boy. In my mind, he was just some little kid. But you're right; he never deserved to die . . . And I'm sorry for that. You were the closest thing I ever had to a best friend, Jounouchi. You were there for me when the others weren't. You respected me even when we would fight until we were both bleeding, on the ground, and had wounds all over our bodies. You would have died for me . . . it's how you were. I can't say I would have done the same for you, however."

Jounouchi had heard enough. "What exactly is your point at all of this? I know you, Hirutani. It's not like you to start giving confessions."

A snort entered the room. "Might as well get it all out now before they lock me up. I've reached the end of my limit, Jounouchi. I've got no where else to go. My only options are death or jail."

Brown eyes widened as he caught the slight hint in Hirutani's voice. "Please tell me you'll choose jail?"

"Why be locked up forever?"

Jounouchi never got a chance to reply, for at that moment, the door opened. "Jounouchi Katsuya; you've been bailed. I suggest you get out of here . . . now."

The blonde haired boy stood up, unwilling to leave for once in his life. As he left, he turned to catch one last glance of Hirutani. The man smiled at him . . . a true, honest smile . . . before Jounouchi was led out of the room, and away from Hirutani's sight.

* * *

I know it probably wouldn't have been like this in real life, but I've always felt that, even though they were enemies, Jounouchi and Hirutani were still friends when it came right down to it.


End file.
